Pecqueur's tragic death may have lasting impact

Sunday

Apr 14, 2013 at 12:01 AM

The delay in investigating the accident became an issue in the re-election campaign of former Flagler County Sheriff Don Fleming.

OUR VIEW

The sentencing of Jamesine Fischer brings to a close a tragic case that had repercussions far beyond the Flagler County courtroom where Fischer pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident involving a death. On the evening of Nov. 10, 2011, Fischer was driving the car that struck 76-year-old Francoise Pecqueur, who died two days later. Although Fischer stopped at the scene, she did not call 9-1-1, and she didn't notify the police until the next morning. Emergency medical crews quickly responded to the fatal accident, but it was almost midnight — six hours after Pecqueur was struck — before a Flagler County sheriff's deputy was sent to investigate. The delay in investigating the accident became an issue in the re-election campaign of former Flagler County Sheriff Don Fleming — especially after Fleming revealed that he had several phone conversations with John Fischer, Jamesine's husband, in the days following the accident. Fleming described John Fischer, a Flagler County School Board member, as a personal friend. Fleming reviewed his department's policy for responding to accidents but ultimately decided it did not require changes to ensure that deputies are sent to the scene when 9-1-1 dispatchers aren't sure of the exact cause of a medical call or injury. The delay in investigating the incident left lingering questions that cannot be definitively answered. During the sentencing hearing, Assistant State Attorney Russ Bausch asked Jamesine Fischer if she had been drinking that night and if that was the reason she didn't call the police. Fischer said she was not drinking on the night of the accident. A prompt police investigation might have determined whether or not Fischer was impaired at the time of the accident. But the long delay in sending a deputy — and Fischer's failure to notify police until many hours after the accident — made it nearly impossible for the authorities to determine if alcohol was a factor. When he campaigned for the sheriff's job, Sheriff Jim Manfre promised that he would change the medical response policy. He followed through in January, announcing that deputies would be dispatched to accidents involving injuries when the cause of the injuries is unknown.

This change marks one positive outcome from Pecqueur's death. The police should be on hand to investigate when the circumstances surrounding a medical call aren't clear. Long delays in beginning an accident investigation can become major barriers to the search for justice. A related benefit of the new policy is that medical calls go out to all sheriff's cruisers on the road at the time. Some deputies will be cross-trained as emergency medical technicians, increasing the likelihood that they can play a life-saving as well as law-enforcement role when accidents with injuries occur. Manfre deserves credit for responding to the perception that the Sheriff's Office's failed to take timely action in response to a tragic accident. The changes in policy represent a renewed commitment by the department to conduct prompt, vigorous investigations when people are injured in accidents. We hope this is the enduring legacy of Francoise Pecqueur and the accident that claimed her life.

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